Kristine Lofgren

I remember the first time I had a bit of real wasabi. Unlike the neon green stuff I was so familiar with, it had an herbal complexity that I was totally unprepared for. It was, as they say, a revelation.If you’ve never tasted real wasabi before,

Many people are finally catching on to the magic of calabaza squash, and it’s about time.This winter type is more resistant to disease than a

Herbs can make or break a dish. Sure, the dry ones can be used to flavor food, but there’s no true substitute for the fresh taste of recently plucked leaves.Does that mean we have to resig

I’m not against nurturing a difficult plant if it has something really special to offer.Heck, I even tried growing the

The first time I walked past a camellia bush, I literally did a double take.I turned to the friend I was walk

If you want a beautiful plant and a full harvest of tart and tangy elderberries, adding fertilizer is a task you can’t put off if you want to enjoy the fruits of your labor to the fullest.Fertilizing will not only help your plant

There’s no denying it, hydrangeas are seemingly miraculous.Their eye-catching blossoms (technically

The cattleya orchid is known for being a bit of a show-off. If your interior design scheme is sleek, spare, and modern, these might not be your cup of tea.But if you can imagine yourself spinning down the mi

Like many grandmas out there, my great-grandma grew African violets.She was head of the African Violet Society chapter in the city where I grew up and she assu

Who hasn’t had a hard time at some point with trying to keep their plants watered appropriately?If you regularly forget to wat

Most people outside of Scandinavia and Russia have their first experience with lingonberries in the form of jam or jelly, a far cry from growing their own.I know lots of people who initially stumbled onto the stuff when they picked up a jar at that h

People love peace lilies for their attractive, white, blossom-like spathes, but the foliage is also spectacular. And you definitely do not want yours to be marred by discoloration.Plants in the Spathiphyllum genus that grow wild in tropical par

Peace lilies have undeniably beautiful foliage, but the blossom-like spathes are what make them stand out. There are so many houseplants out there that have interesting leaves, but there are precious few that blossom.So it’s totally understandable that yo

When I told my husband I was planting purslane in the garden, I suspect he thought I’d lost my mind.No doubt he was thinking back to the years whe

Tomatoes come in an astonishing range of colors, shapes, and sizes.Gone are the days when you might o

Good ol’ spinach. It’s so nutritious that it has become an avatar for healthy eating. It thrives in weather too cold for lettuce, and it matures so fast that you can have multiple harvests each season.There’s so much to love about the versatile little gr

You constantly hear gardeners saying that you should deadhead your roses. But what does that really mean? And how do you do it? And for that matter, when should you break out the pruners?I can relate. When I first s

Finding flowers in your food isn’t as surprising as it used to be. Marigolds and pansies are a pretty common sight in salads, and candied rose petals and violets decorate all kinds of desserts.But I have yet to order a dish at a restaurant and find fuchsia flowers –

I’m a full-grown woman with adult responsibilities and a pretty good head on her shoulders. Most of the time. But when I find powdery mildew on my roses, I just want to lie down, kick my heels in the grass, and throw a certified, grade-A tantrum.I’m sure you already know this, but you don’t w

Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could just plop some seeds into the soil, add water, and have yourself a dozen new orchids?Unfortunately, growing orchids f

I buy cut flowers for myself every few weeks because the colors and textures cheer me up every time I look at them.It’s a little bit of nature that I can enjoy inside

I just don’t understand why certain plants aren’t more popular.I’m so happy that edible flowers are finding a fo

Blueberries are popular with home gardeners because, let’s face it, they’re delicious. But while the berries get most of the attention, the bushes are beautiful plants in their own right.Blueberry plants bloom during mid- to late spring – t

There’s a lot of different types of squash out there, from tiny little pattypans to massive pumpkins, and all of them have slightly different colors, flavors, and textures from one another.So you’d think with all the variety out there, it would

When you grow houseplants, you bring some of the outdoors in.But much of the time, houseplants are adorably short, traili

When zucchini are happy, they’re really happy.So much so that you might find yourself begging th

The only thing more marvelous than enjoying a homegrown harvest of berries picked at their peak ripeness is when those berries are of a variety that’s difficult to find in the store.That’s why I love growing currants,

I don’t know what’s happening with alliums in Uzbekistan, but they’re growing some fantastic garlic.There’s nothing wrong with a lovely, mild bulb, but sometimes you want something sweet,

Coneflowers started out in the wild as humble prairie wildflowers, but these days, they’ve made the transition to must-have cultivated garden essentials.Some people grow these stunners for thei

Spring is a marvelously colorful time of year, with all the flowers and leaves unfolding as the days become warmer. And one of the brightest, boldest harbingers of spring is the redbud tree.These showy bloomers send out flowers earlier

Is there anything like a soft, honey-sweet persimmon fresh off the tree? If there is, I haven’t found it yet.Now, is there anything more heartbreaking t

If you’re new to fruit tree growing and pruning, you absolutely can’t go wrong with plums.Some trees will stop producing

We all know what makes lilacs fabulous – it’s those spring days when you’re walking outside and you suddenly get a whiff of a heavily floral fragrance.That’s when you look around and, yep, your lila

I admit it, I’m greedy. I don’t want to see the flowers on my lilac bushes and clematis vines go. I cling to them desperately, a sense of heaviness in my heart when they start to fade.I know, not at all zen, but I can’t help it. They a

There is a whole lot to love about redbuds. Who hasn’t been mesmerized by a tree crowned with a cloak of vibrant reddish-pink flowers? It’s a stunning sight.Even after the flowers fade, the glossy, heart-shaped leaves are an attractive additio

Listen, I adore roses, but even I can admit that categorizing these plants has gotten a little bit, shall we say, confusing.I mean, a “shrub” is a group classification, but al